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Organizing for Missions: Part 1 by Pastor Charlie Handren

By Anonymous
     On May 12, 1792 William Carey published a little pamphlet entitled, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens. By God’s grace, his words inspired the modern missionary movement, and by God’s grace, I’m praying that they will inspire a fresh passion for global missions at Glory of Christ.
     Having pled with his readers to rise up and pray for the missionary enterprise in the world, Carey then called them prayer-born action. Specifically, he thought it would be good for ministers and non-vocational Christians who were serious about the Great Commission to form themselves into missionary societies, or what we would call a non-profit organization.
     As for the members of these societies, Carey suggested that they possess three things: (1) a passion for the work, (2) a seriousness about the Lord, the Church, and the call of the Great Commission, and (3) a spirit of perseverance. He suggested that only such as these be admitted, and that those who began in this way but then altered their convictions or behaviors should be immediately dismissed. Please don’t miss this point: the success of the societies was dependent upon the character and convictions of those who made them up.
     As for the tasks that the societies were to perform, Carey suggested five things: (1) they should develop rules and regulations for the society and those they send, (2) they should research missions then and now and become experts in the field, (3) they should receive contributions for the work, (4) they should “enquire into the characters, tempers, abilities and religious views” of potential missionaries, and (5) once missionaries are appointed they should provide the missionaries with all they need to fulfill their calling. This was, of course, an initial list and not an exhaustive one, but his point was that his vision was concrete and achievable.
     Carey did pause at this point to warn those who might form such societies to be prayerful, careful, and diligent about vetting and sending the right people. To make his point, he cited a well-known case where some were sent to India in the name of Jesus but whose true motive was to become wealthy and live accordingly. Sadly, as they persuaded some to become “Christians,” those people emulated their way of life, made a scandal of Christianity, and caused the Indian government to eject all missionaries and censure all Christians in that area.
     The work of the societies, then, was serious and it called for prayerful and serious people to rise up and do it. Accordingly, Carey pled with his own Baptist denomination to lead the way in this endeavor. Next week I’ll write about what came of his plea, but for now, I want to encourage you to ponder two questions with me: how should modern Christians organize themselves to preach the gospel to the nations, and what part will you play?

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